The real Northman
The Husqvarna brand has quite a storied history, Starting out making muskets in the late 1700s and moving onto sewing machines, kitchen wares, and bicycles in the late 1800s. Their first foray into motorcycles was in the early 1920s and saw V-Twin-powered machines such as those found in Harley Davidson. In the late 1980's Husqvarna sold their motorcycle division off to Italian motorcycle company Cagiva so that they could concentrate on what they are now best known for, chainsaws and lawn care equipment.
Related: KTM does midsize duallie right - KTM 1090 Adventure R
After a short period of ownership under BMW Motorrad, Husqvarna was bought out by Pierer Mobility Group, owners of Austria's KTM and that is how we now find ourselves with Husqvarna's first foray into the madcap world of adventure bikes, sharing most of its components with KTM.
The new Norden 901 is a neat little package that incorporates all that we have come to love about the race-ready KTM and dials it down to 8 and we spent a few days behind the bars to see just how genteel this adventure machine can be.
Style
Despite sharing much of its underpinnings with its KTM 890 cousin, the Norden manages to look completely like its own bike. The 901 has a very distinct style looking very similar to a race-ready Dakar machine with its tall front end and round LED headlight. The tank and fairing are wide giving the rider a decent amount of weather protection and covered in matt black paintwork with yellow detailing, it cuts a striking pose on the trail. The Norden looks aggressive but is in fact quite easy to ride.
Our test mule was equipped with a few aftermarket bits such as the Remus slip-on, heavier duty cleated footpegs, luggage attachments, and the optional Explorer mode setting. The sum of these extras does make the Norden look as if it is ready to hit the road for a long-distance tour.
Tech
Tech on the Norden is hidden away in the gubbins of the machine and all that you will see is the bright 5" TFT screen that delivers all the info for the rider. The 901 is equipped with 3 standard riding modes, Rain, OffRoad, and Street, with each mode having a preset power delivery and traction control setting. As mentioned before our test unit had the optional Explorer mode fitted which allows the rider to customize settings such as power delivery and rear-wheel traction control as well on the fly adjustments for rear-wheel slip.
Engine and Drivetrain
The 901 is powered by the same engine that you will find inside the frame rails of the KTM 890 Adventure, an 889cc parallel-twin. The unit punches out a healthy 78kw and 98Nm which is slightly down on the figures for the same KTM but very comparable. Power goes to the chain-driven rear wheel via a super slick 6-speed transmission that was fitted with, what I can only say is, the best quickshifter I've had the pleasure of riding.
With the adventure ride in mind, the Norden gets WP Apex suspension with fully adjustable 43mm upside-down forks with an easily adjustable rear setup giving you 250mm of ground clearance. The adventure 18/21 wheel and tyre setup with the Pirelli Scorpion tyres ensure traction while offroad and the lightweight spoke wheels keep weight down. When it comes to stopping power, the 320mm front rotor with 2 piston calipers brings the Norden to a super quick stop.
Let's Ride
We were very lucky during our test period as we had the full gamut of what the Gauteng weather had to offer, bright sunshine one day, freezing cold the next, rain the day after that, and a messy mixture in-between. The 901 easily achieved highway speed and sat comfortably in the fast lane, although the drone from the aftermarket exhaust did become tiresome after a while. After spending the requisite amount of time on the tar it was time to find some gravel and this is truly where the Norden is most at home. The rider modes came in handy here as you were easily able to flip between surfaces but it was in the wet that I found the Norden at its best.
Despite the higher rider position you don't so much as sit on the Norden as you do in it, the wide fuel tank and low seat give an incredible amount of leg control, even when standing, this allows the rider to really get that back wheel out on low traction surfaces.
Pros and cons
- Good torque response from engine
- Excellent quickshifter
- Easily read compact TFT screen
- Rally styling
- Comfortable seating
- Drone from aftermarket exhaust
- Yellow colour band is mismatched when raising the seat height
Model and pricing
Husqvarna Norden 901 - R 246 699 (base excluding options)
Husqvarna also has a comprehensive catalogue of rider gear and bike touring equipment to choose from
Verdict
I guess the question here is why buy the Norden over its KTM brother? The answer is simply that the Norden isn't as high-strung as the KTM, and it does come across as a slightly more mature adventure bike. If the bright orange paintwork and rough and tumble attitude of the KTM is not to your liking the matt black on black/yellow striping, fantastic rider modes, and reserved power delivery of the Norden will be right up your alley. I highly recommend taking one of these for a test ride as you won't be disappointed.
